Package and wrapper for forming same



Nov. 29, 1955 o. MCCULLOUGH ET AL PACKAGE AND WRAPPER FOR FORMING SAMEFiled Nov. 26, 1952 INVENTORS. Lzwzu. O.MCu1.:.ouau, CLEGG E. Pmcs,Cmmuss H. BEAM and Ram" FSKmNER.

ATTORNEYS.

United States PatentO PACKAGE AND WRAPPER FOR FORMING SAIVIE Lewell O.McCullough, Charlotte, Clegg E. Price, Matthews, and Charles H. Beam andRalph F. Skinner, Charlotte, N. C., assignors to Lance, Inc., Charlotte,N. C., a corporation of North Carolina Application November 26, 1952,Serial No. 322,672

2 Claims. (Cl. 229-16) This invention relates to wrappers and moreespecially to a wrapper for and process of packaging relatively smallarticles or groups of articles such as crackers, cookies, sandwiches andthe like.

As is well known, various articles such as crackers, sandwiches, cookiesand the like are wrapped in a sheet of web material made fromregenerated cellulose or some plastic material such as cellophane,glassine or the like. The ends of such wrappers are usually folded inoverlapping relation to each other at opposite sides of the package orarticles contained therein and it is extremely diificult to remove thewrapper from its contents because the smooth, unbroken overlapping edgesof said web material offer resistance to tearing.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improvedprocess of wrapping an article, wherein an improved wrapper is utilized.The wrapper is formed from a substantially rectangular blank having atearingstrip, preferably a band of the same material as that of theblank, extending transversely thereof and adhesively or cohesivelyafiixed thereto. The blank is provided with slits, nicks or notches atopposite longitudinal edges thereof, there being a pair of slitsdisposed astride each end of the tearing-strip and, in addition, theblank is formed with a third slit in each of its longitudinal side edgeswhich is so positioned that, when opposite portions of the wrapper orblank are folded in overlapping relation to form seams at opposite sidesof the articles, and sealed by the application of heat thereto, an outerseam edge with a pair of slits therein and an inner seam edge with oneslit therein is formed on each of opposite sides of the package. One ofsaid slits of said pair in each outer seam edge is disposed insubstantial alinement with the corresponding third slit formed in theinner seam edge.

Thus, the wrapper may subsequently be removed by grasping one end of thetearing-strip and, since slits are formed in the corresponding edge ofthe wrapper, the seal is readily broken. As the tearing-strip is pulledaway from the package, the wrapper tears easily until substantially theentire length of the tearing-strip has been torn away. Then, the notchor slit in the inner seam edge which coincides with the pair of slits ornotches which straddle the opposite or still-attached end of thetearingstrip, breaks the seal of the package at that side of the packagewhereupon the upper portion of the package may be opened insubstantially the manner of the cover of a box. Since the seal of thepackage will have been broken, the entire upper portion or cover definedby the portion of the wrapper that has been torn away may be readilyremoved from the body of the package.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objectswill appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings in which Figures 1 to 4 are isometric views ofthe package in successive stages of the wrapper being folded about thearticles contained therein;

Figure 5 is an isometric view of the package formed from the completelyfolded and sealed wrapper;

Figure 6 is an isometric view of the opposite side of the package fromthat shown in Figure 5 with a substantial portion of the tearing-strippulled away from the package to illustrate how the seal of the wrapperis broken for subsequently removing the cover of the package defined bysaid tearing-strip.

In my co-pending application entitled Pull-Tape Applicator and WebSlitting Apparatus and Method, Serial No. 322,671, filed of even dateherewith, there are shown means for forming slits in opposite edges ofsuccessive wrapper blanks severed from a web material after applying atearing-strip or pull-tape to the web material. Referring to thedrawing, the blank of the wrapper is generally designated at 10 and isformed from a heat-sealable material, such as regenerated cellulose orsome plastic material, such as cellophane or the like. This blank 10 isadapted to be formed as a wrapper or package when wrapped around anarticle or group of articles generally designated at A.

The blank 10 is substantially rectangularly-shaped, thus being providedwith opposite longitudinal side edges 11 and 12 and opposite transverseend edges 13 and 14. A tearing-strip or pull-tape 15 is adhesively orcohesively secured to one face of the blank 10 and extends from thefirst side edge 11 to the second side edge 12 of the blank and is alsospaced inwardly from the end edge 14. The tearing-strip or pull-tape 15is preferably made from the same material as the wrapper blank 10.

The side edges 11 and 12 of the blank 10 are formed with respectivepairs of nicks or slits or notches 16, 17, and 20, 21 which are disposedastride opposite ends of the tearing-strip or pull-tape 15. The sideedges 11 and 12 are also provided with respective third slits or notches22 and 23 which extend toward each other and are spaced inwardly fromthe end edge 13 substantially the same distance as the slits 17 and 21are spaced inwardly from the end edge 14 of the blank 10.

The blank 10 may be formed as a wrapper enfolded around an article orgroup of articles A by a wrapping machine such as that disclosed in thepatent to John W. May, No. 2,526,824 of October 24, 1950.

In the formation of the package, the opposite end portions of the blank10 defined by the edges 13 and 14 are folded upwardly against oppositesides of the article A to form end panels 25 and 26. The tape 15 is thenheld between the wrapper and the article. Thereafter, the exposedportions of the blank between said end panels 25 and 26 are foldedupwardly against opposite sides of the article A to form lower sidepanels or tucks 30 and 31, after which the edges 11 and 12 of the endpanel 26 are folded inwardly against opposite sides of the package toform gusset side panels or side flaps 32 and 33 in which position theslits 22 and 23 are preferably disposed above the upper edges of thelower side panels or tucks 30 and 31.

The edges 11 and 12 of the end panel 25 are then folded inwardly therebyforming outer gusset panels or side flaps 34 and 3-5 positioned over theproximal portions of the gusset panels 32 and 33 to form seams whereinthe slits 17 and 21 in the outer seam edge coincide substantially withthe respective slits 22 and 23 in the inner seam edge.

Opposite sides of the package are then sealed, such as by theapplication of heat thereto, to cause the overlapping inner and outerseam edges of the side gusset panels 33, 3S and 32, 34 to adhere to eachother.

This completes the formation of the bottom, side and end wall portionsof the package. Thereafter, the upper central portions of the panels 25and 26 are folded inwardly atop the article A to form top panels ortucks 36 and 37; respectively, whose proximal edges are usually spacedslightly from each othen Gussetdike flaps- 40 and 41, which are formedfrom the upper proximal portions of the overlapping side flaps 32, 34,and 33,35, respectively, are then folded inwardly in partiallyoverlapping relation upon the top panels or tucks 3Z6 and.37, afterwhich the, seam formed by the overlappingjportions of the flaps 46 and41 is adhesively joined, as by being shown in Figure 5, it is merelynecessary for the person opening the package to insert a finger nailunderneath the outer sewn edge at either of the edges 11 or 12 of thepackage, between the corresponding pairs of slits 16, 17 or 20, 21..Assuming the person opening the package inserts his finger nail underthe edge 12 of the wrapper between slits ltland 21, since the edge ofthe wrapping material is already fractured at this point, it is merelynecessary to pull the tearing-strip or pull-tape 15-and a portion.42 isreadily torn from the wrapper parallel to tlietearing-stri'p until theportion 42 has been torn away around to the opposite side of the packageat the seam of the gusset panels as shown in Figure 6.

Since the portion of the edge 11 of the wrapper 10 at the gusset panel33' forms the inner seam edge beneath the correspondingopoition of thegusset panel 3'5"which forms the outer seam edge, and the proximalportionsof the gusset panels 331 and 35 have beensealed in overlappingengagement with each other, only the lower. edge of the portion 42 willtear away from the article or articles A at this point while the upperedge of-portion 42 at'the seam of gussets 33'and 35 will not tear awaybecause of there being only a single slit 22 coinciding with the slit17;

Thus, the opening in the wrapper formed by the portion 42 torn from thepackage by, the tearing-strip 15, defines a cover at the top portion ofthe. package, including the-tucks 36 and 37 and the flaps 40 and .41,and it is merely necessary to raise said cover, p ivoting. thevsameupwardly at that portion thereof adjacent which the por: tion 42 hasbeen removed and, since the, gusset panel'32 has the-slit 23 therein andthe gusset panel 33 has the. slit 22" therein, the, cover formed by thepanels 36., and 37 and *the flaps 4t) and 41 will readily be separatedfrom the major or lower portion ofthe wrapper to permit the access tothe contents thereof.

In thedrawings and'specification there has been, set forth apreferredembodiment of the inventionandmale though specific terms areemployed; they are usedxin a. descriptive/and generic sense only, andnot for purposes.

oflimitation, the scope of theinvention being. defined in the claims:

I claim:

1: A wrapper extending" about at least one article in a continuousmanner to define a package, said wrapper being so folded about saidarticle as to define overlapping outer and inner flap portions on atleast two surfaces of said package, means for. facilitating the openingof the package comprising a pull -t'ap'esecured to the wrapper and!extending: from: one: edge of! one outer, fia'pportion across thewrapper to one edge of the other outer flap portion, at. least one ofsaid outer flap portions having a pair of notches communicating, withit'sedge and disposed astride the: pull tapqthe inner flap portion -ofthe other of said overlapping portions having at least one notch'tcommunicating with its edge and disposed subjacent the adjacentendportion of thepull-tape, and said overlapping portions beingsecured'together whereby the end of the tape adjacent the pair ofnotches may be pulled to open the package and saidnotches servingtopermit" easy tearing of portions ofth'ewrapper'in which the respectivenotches are-formed 2. A" package for an" article comprising,arectangularwrapper, a tearing-strip extending transversely of said Wrapper andbeing sp'acecllinwardlyfrom' one transverse edge thereof, saidwrapperbeingprovidedlwith a pair of slits. ateach; longitudinal edge thereofdisposed astrid'e' opposite end portions of the tearing-strip,said'wrapper also having La thirdslit' formed infiea'ch of itslongitudinal edges and each. third. slit. bein'g spaced from theothertransverse edge oftlie wrapper, one of" the slits ofeach" pair 'ofslits.and eachof"saiFtl'lird'slits being substantially equally spaced'fromtheir'respective transverse edges, said wrapper beingsoenfoldediabouti sa'id'article asto form overlapping portions on opposedisides of the package, said overlapping portions each'v-including aportion of saidwrapperliaving said pair'of "slits therein anda portionvofsaid-wra'pper having said. thirdslittherein, one of said slits'ofeach pjair being; positioned above one of said third: slits tothereb'y'enabl an operator to readily, tear th'e'.tearing strip'and'a'corresponding portion of the wrapper from saidpackage formed 'therefromand to enable the' operator to. readily remove: thecorresponding end ofthe package fromlthevmajor portion ofthe package.

References Git'edin'the 'of this patent"

